Elgin said contemptuously. âHe ainât nothinâ to us now.â
âHe canât sing,â Claudia agreed, âand now he canât play. We donât have to bow down to him no more.â She pulled Deetzy close and grabbed Ida Maeâs hand. âWe donât have to keep our girls away from him.â
âWe canât leave him there,â Mandalay said.
Elgin put his foot on Rockhouseâs shoulder and pushed him outside enough to close the door. âThe hell we canât.â
Mandalay turned to Luke. She didnât have to say anything; the boy said, âGet out of the way, Dad,â and took one of Rockhouseâs arms. Mandalay took the other, and they dragged him into the living room. Mandalay shut the door.
Rockhouse rolled onto his back. Spittle frosted the corners of his lips. He wore no coat, and his clothes were stiff with frozen sweat and snow.
âHow the hell did he get here?â Elgin mumbled. âAnd whatâs wrong with him?â
âHe walked,â Mandalay said.
âDown from the mountain?â Luke asked in disbelief.
âThereâs no night wind for him anymore,â she said. âNo riding it where he wants to go.â
âJesus,â Claudia whispered. The climb down was treacherous on a good day, and in this snowstorm, with no coat or other protection, it would be a nightmare. He was luckier than he knew to reach this house alive.
Mandalay looked around at the Somervilles. âI know how you feel about him, but look at him. Heâs nothing now but an old man who canât talk, and whoâs seriously hurt. Claudia, can you get me a cloth soaked in warm water? And Ida Mae, fetch me a blanket or a comforter.â
As they went to their tasks, Elgin said, âHe ainât stayinâ here. You can take him with you when your ride gets here.â
âI will,â Mandalay said.
Elgin spit, not directly on Rockhouse but definitely in his general direction.
Luke asked quietly, âWho do you think cut off his fingers?â
Mandalay shook her head. âI donât know yet.â
Headlights raked across the front curtains, and the squeak of brakes came over the wind. Then a shadow passed in front of the light, and someone knocked firmly on the door.
Elgin opened it. Darnell Harris stood there, dressed in insulated coveralls, his bearded face guarded and wary. âIâm here for my daughter, Elgin.â
âRight here, Daddy,â Mandalay said from the floor.
Darnell stared down at her, at Rockhouse, and then around at the gathered Somervilles. âLooks like I missed the party,â he said at last.
âAinât no party,â Elgin said. âTake your damn daughter, and take this sack of shit with you.â
Darnell saw by the look in her eyes that Mandalay had already decided. He nodded and said, âAll right. Hold on, I need to go get something.â He turned and walked away.
âAnd hurry up!â Elgin called after him. âWeâre gonna have more snow in the damn house than we do in the yard!â
A moment later he returned with Bliss Overbay. Mandalay immediately stood and let the other woman, a professional EMT, kneel beside Rockhouse. She checked his pulse, examined the wounds on his hands, and brushed the hair back from his forehead. âWe need to get him out of this cold,â she said.
âYeah, thatâs what Iâve been telling you,â Elgin said.
Mandalay took her coat from the wall hook and stepped back into her still-damp tennis shoes. âThank you, Mrs. Somerville. I appreciate yâall taking me in out of the storm. Iâll get these clothes washed and give them back to Luke at school.â At the door, she stopped in front of Luke and looked right into his eyes. This time he looked back. âThank you,â she said softly.
He nod-shrugged, and shyly smiled.
Then she stepped aside while her father lifted Rockhouse
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